U.S. routs Cuba to reach Gold Cup semis

Clint Dempsey scored on a fourth-minute header, added a pair of second-half goals for his first international hat trick, and the United States routed Cuba 6-0 on Saturday in Baltimore to reach its eighth straight CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinal.

Dempsey converted a penalty kick early in the second half and added a late goal to raise his tournament-leading total to six. Dempsey's 57 international goals are 10 behind Landon Donovan's American record.

Gyasi Zardes, Aron Johannsson and Omar Gonzalez also scored as the Americans built a 4-0 halftime lead against a Cuban team depleted by five absent players who may have defected.

In Wednesday's semifinal at Atlanta, the Americans will play Jamaica, which beat Haiti 1-0 to advance to the semifinals for the first time since 1998.

With its highest victory margin in the championship of soccer's North and Central American and Caribbean region, the U.S. improved to 8-1 in Gold Cup quarterfinals, the only blemish a penalty-kicks loss to Colombia in 2000.

It was more than 90 degrees at kickoff, causing Costa Rican referee Henry Bejarano to call for a water break after the third goal.

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